Right Decisions
by impartofthefandom
Summary: Moving her face towards his, he kissed her gently as more tears fell. "Do you think what we're doing is right, Sokka?" Toph asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time since Su was born, although knowing what he would say. "I hope so—it's our only option." Putting his arm back around her, she lay her head on his shoulder as he laid his atop hers. "Our only option," she repeated.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've edited the lot of this chapter in accordance with the new episodes of _The Legend of Korra._ If Su really is a Tokka child, then I'm guessing this is more or less what happened during Yakone's trial. I know I've neglected this story, so bear with me when I say I'm a little rusty when it comes to writing.**

The whole courtroom was a herd of wobbling figures. All of which have just regained consciousness from Yakone's blood bending.

A police officer was waking up the whole council to make sure everyone was alright.

"Councilman Sokka? Councilman Sokka? Sir? Are you alright? Sir?" he was gently nudging Sokka's shoulder.

The Councilman groaned in reply and slowly shook his head dizzily. A pain shot right through his brain and he clutched the back of his head, grunting.

Officer Wu Lee steadied Sokka by the shoulders. "Do you need to go to a healer?"

"No, no. I'm fine. What happened?" he was scanning the room but his vision was blurry and a little fuzzy.

"Yakone knocked us all out, Sir. But Avatar Aang handled it and took his bending away. We've already immobilized him and are taking him to headquarters, Sir." he straightened his back and took a normal stance, eyes ahead.

It took a moment for Sokka to take in the words and remember what happened. His eyes bulged wide as the memory played before his eyes.

"Toph! Toph! Where's Toph?" he suddenly remembered he was in the presence of many people who have turned their attention to the screaming Councilman; he tried to keep his calm despite the obvious frantic worry and the hole that was growing in his chest. He needed to keep a level head if he was going to be a good example to the other people in the room. "Officer, where's the Chief? Chief Beifong."

The sad look in his eyes told Sokka that something wasn't right. He scanned the room and saw that a group of people were surrounding a particular person. There were many healers performing their _magic water_, as he liked to call it.

The press were keeping a good distance but some taking some pictures. Everyone there had worrisome looks on their faces.

It took him a second to notice who the person they were crowding was. _Toph_. Her body lay limp and unconscious on the hard floor.

Sokka wasted no time in making his way toward her. He tripped down a stair; people were offering to help him, but he declined, never taking his eyes off Toph. He scrambled to a vacant space beside her, holding her neck up and putting a heap of cloth under her head.

"Oh, Toph." he murmured, shaking his head. "Shee Men, what's wrong with the Chief?" his voice was low and full of anxiety.

"It seems that she was the first one to be knocked out by Yakone, Sir. His grip on her was quite strong. Everyone's all conscious except her." he observed, trying to bend the water on different parts of her body.

"Her heartbeat?"

"She's alive. But—" he was hesitant, he didn't want to be the one to bring the news.

"But what?" he was insistent, his eyes stern.

"But—her heartbeat is becoming rapidly slow. We don't know if—"

"Toph," announced Aang from behind them. The Avatar shooed away all of the reporters to see what all the commotion was about.

"Aang," Sokka sighed, looking at his brother in law, but turning his gaze back to Toph. Everyone else started backing away and the closest person was Toph's right hand officer, Zhen, who was a few feet away. "Aang, get my sister. Get Katara." he was trying to hold back the tears.

"But Sokka—" Aang was trying to reason with him.

"Aang, get Katara." he demanded, with the same tone and pace as before.

"Sokka—" he motioned to put a hand on his friend's shoulder but stopped midair.

"Now." his tone was deadpanned.

Aang just nodded and hurried toward Air Temple Island where Katara was looking after the kids.

Everyone else kept silent and made sure they kept a safe distance between the Councilman and the Chief. A lot of them had their heads down. Some officers had small tears running through their cheaks, and Zhen had turn away to hide the droplets of water.

Sokka never left his gaze on Toph. He was nudging her chin with his bent finger. "Chief? Chief? Come on, get up." he didn't want to accept the fact that she was slowly slipping away. "Come on, Chief. Chief? Chief Beifong? Come on, get up." it was like he was trying to get a child out of bed. When she didn't move, he held her by her shoulders, giving her a disbelieving shake. "Toph? Toph? Come on, don't do this. This isn't funny!" he shook her harder, choking up sobs.

This heartbreaking act made the other people in the courtroom silently cry as well.

"Toph! Come on! Don't do this! This isn't a joke! It isn't funny!" he put her down gently and wiped the waterfall of tears from his face. In a gentler and sweeter tone, he said, holding her hand, "Toph? Toph? You don't want your officers to see you're a lily liver, now do you?" he tried to joke, just like when they were kids. "You don't want to ruin your reputation, now do you?"

She remained unmoving, with slowing breaths every minute.

"Oh, look, there's Lin and Su." he lied. He bent down so that his mouth was near her ear. Only so she could hear, he murmured, "_Su._ _Our child_, Toph, _our child. _She's the one thing we did right with our lives. You don't want to see her cry, do you? You don't want to make her sad, right?" he breathed deeply. "Su, she's us, Toph. She's a combination of everything I am, everything you are. _We _made _her. _We're her parents. We can't just back down from that responsibility, right? Everything we've done to protect her? To protect Lin? Keeping me, as her father, as secret? Would you want to throw away everything just because of some damn asshole? You're stronger than that, Toph." he tried to keep going despite all the crying. It was the two of them at that moment. "_I know you are."_

They were atop that Fire Nation airship again, struggling for their lives. Only this time, he was beside her, holding her hand and never wanting to let go.

"You don't want to her to grow up alone, do you? Without a mom? And without a dad too? What would I say? What would I do? Come on, Toph, she needs you. Don't leave her." he let all his feelings fall down with his tears.

He cupped his face with both his hands and cried into Toph's metal uniform. He inhaled in her scent—of earth and metal. Only she smelled like this, and he was determined to remember it until the end.

After a while, he whispered, setting aside everything else to make sure she heard him—she needed to know— and pleading with all his strength, "_I need you_. Don't leave. _Don't leave me._"

The whole courtroom was in tears. This was just too much—too sad, too beautiful. The women were crying into their husband's jackets, the press and the council members hiding their face and wiping away the tears, and the Police Force, not bothering to shield away, cried harder in front of everyone. One even decided to go away because it was just too much for him to handle, he didn't bother ask for permission.

The Force knew the Chief all too well. She was a part of their family—their mother, their leader, their role model, the perfect person to look up to. She was the one who made them what they are. She took hours just giving them one-on-one, making sure each one learned how to metalbend and lived up to their full potential. She was the one who made sure they were safe and okay at all times. And when it was too dangerous, if she could do it by herself, she wouldn't risk any of her officers to do the job for her. They cared for each other as a family. Without her, they would never be the same again.

Everyone made sure to give the pair some space. They knew Toph and Sokka so well. They were the best of friends for more than 28 years. The dynamic duo. The inseparable team. The Chief and Councilman. The Meathead and Blind Bandit. They have gone through so much together. It was rare when one would find them not by each other's side. They would joke around and tease each other, give nicknames and such. They wouldn't mind nor would get offended because that's just how they are.

In the end, they would just laugh their butts off. They would insult other people together and do pranks at least once a year when both of them have their day off. When they would fight, it would never last longer than a day. They would both make up by insulting each other once again and laugh at their jokes.

Every person alive knew how important they were to one another. One wouldn't function or work well without the other. They were best friends from the start and until the end. They would protect and make sure nothing bad would happen to their half. They were the Yin and Yang. Two halves, which, put together, would make a perfect whole. Just seeing the other one in pain, would sent dagger through the other's back.

Their friendship was priceless. It was a friendship like no other. It only existed between the two. It was a friendship between a Water Tribe Warrior and an Earthbender that would last forever—last lifetimes.

All this and none of them even knew how much farther their bond for each other went. They had an undying love for each other which only the two of them would understand. Through the years, their feelings for one another grew deep and strong.

After a certain incident, neither of them could contain what they were feeling anymore; the truth was revealed that night. And as the wise men say, the truth set them free.

But, there were countless things going against their love. It was as if the world was telling them that it was not meant to be. Though despite the forces countering them, they knew they wasted too much time already hiding their feelings and retaining them in a box.

To let things fall into place in their own accord, Toph and Sokka kept their relationship a secret, telling only those closest and most trustworthy to them. This decision proved to be a good one when an unexpected gift came and they were opposed by more forces. They struggled, with an affliction greater than themselves. Sacrifices had to be made and so far, they made no regrets making them. There was a reason for each action they did and they hoped it wasn't all for nothing.

And now, the courtroom audience was having front row seats in seeing that long found friendship, and unknown romance, be broken before their eyes.

Katara was taking too long, and Toph's breaths were becoming slower and fainter by the second. Sokka knew it was almost time.

With bloodshot eyes, and tear stained clothes, Sokka brought his face up. He looked at Toph's magnificent pale face.

He thought to himeself, _Will I still be able to see this face when I wake up every morning? When I bring the kids home? When I go to work? Will I still be able to see that smile? I'd give anything to be with her every second of my life._

Sokka brushed the bangs off Toph's face and looked for her meteor bracelet.

Zhen had a inner feeling he knew where this was going so he sent out his officers to evacuate everyone else in the courtroom. Only the Force was to be left.

Even the press submitted to the orders, it was too much of a moment to fight just to get a good picture.

Sokka was going to do something that might send a scandal throughout the whole city, but he didn't care. He could just bury it under the files later. Besides, almost everyone occupying that courtroom had fled.

He carefully pulled up the sleeve of her Police Uniform, and with a little help from Zhen, he was able to remove the whole upper sleeve.

There, the black contrasting the pale white of her skin, was the meteor bracelet Sokka gave to her 28 years ago, when they were still kids in the Fire Nation. When he first met Master Piandao and made his first sword—his lost Space Sword. And even though he knew it would be there, he still couldn't believe she kept it after all these years.

There, in the middle of the armlet, was a circle carved with the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom symbols woven together. They had made this up themselves on the Night of Truth. It meant to symbolize that whatever happens between them, in their hearts, they would always be with each other.

Sokka gently unlocked the bracelet. He opened Toph's hand and placed it on her palm. Then, he place his hand above hers, crushing the bracelet between their grasp. And with a stronger grip with every word, he said, tears falling down his eyes and unto the Space Earth, "We'll always be together, Toph, no matter what. I promised everything I said to you. I will not give up on them. Toph, I love you." he shed a final tear and leaned in and kissed her lips, cupping the side of her face with his free hand.

There were gasps all around, but it only ended in the shedding of more tears. A heartless member of the press was able to sneak a pic from a far, only for his camera to be broken to shreds by a metal cable. Had he no soul?

The sudden contact with Sokka and the energy he gave her through her meteor bracelet, made Toph regain consciousness once Sokka broke the kiss. He was about to stand up and leave when Toph suddenly gripped his hand, hard.

"Sokka?" she muttered, trying to sit up.

"Toph!" Sokka quickly shot back down and pulled a her into a deep hug, but still making sure she wasn't hurt.

After taking in each other, Toph pulled away, just enough for Sokka to see her face. She cupped the side of his face with her hand, and Sokka put his hand over hers, kissing her knuckles.

"Councilman," she joked with a chuckle.

"Chief," he replied, with a chuckle as well.

They shared a long gaze and smile.

"Miss me already, Snoozles?" she raised her tired eyebrows up and down.

Unable to control himself, he hugged her again, burying his face in her disheveled hair that was once in a bun, and saying so that only she could hear, "You have no idea."

Toph wasted no time in returning the embrace, wiping her tears with his shirt.

The whole Force went into loud cheers, hoots, and claps. They was so happy that this wasn't the end. They knew it couldn't end this way. The two war heroes definitely deserved a better ending.

He pulled away and said, "I love you, Toph."

She wanted to ask him about the Force knowing, but didn't want to ruin the moment. "I love you too, Sokka."

She kissed him and he returned he it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he steadied her by holding the sides of her waist. The kiss went deeper and more passionate, they mouths moving in sync like they had so many times before. After each moment, it became harder and more needy—they almost lost each other _again _this time.

After eternity, Toph realized they were in the presence of her officers and broke the kiss gently. She quickly punched his arm and he rubbed it gently, a smile still on his face.

Clearing her throat and staring daggers at her metalbenders, "Not a word." she gestured to her and Sokka then to her lips, making a zipping sound. "Got it?"

"Yes, Chief!" they agreed all together, giving their fellow officers knowing and smirking glances, all of which Toph couldn't see. Sokka noticed this, moved his fingers horizontally, pointed to Toph and made a gesture of choking himself. The squad got the memo and stood their grounds once again.

"Now beat it and make sure Yakone doesn't escape!" she demanded; they followed obediently.

As they carried through with their duties, some stopped by to pat her back or giving her a high five. Zhen just hugged her quickly, whispering, "Finally." He gave her a wink, tilting his head toward Sokka. She just pushed him away and told him to do his job.

Noticing this, Sokka asked, "What was that all about?"

Toph punched him and said, "None of your business, Meathead. Now help me get up."

He offered to carry her but she just put her arm around his shoulder.

"Careful," he said.

"I'm fine!" she said, a smile on the corner of her mouth.

She put her first foot forward, then the other. But she lost balance and fell down. Sokka was swift enough and caught her. He chuckled and remarked, "Yeah, Chief, you can walk just fine."

She tried rolling her eyes. "Hey, Sokka, am I doing this right?"

"Alright, come on."

"Wha—" she squeaked as Sokka pulled her up and into his arms. She was thankful she sent her officers away earlier. "Put me down!"

She tried getting down but Sokka was too strong. "Not a chance, Toph."

"You'll know they'll be questions." she warned.

"And I don't care." he breathed calmly.

She sighed happily, knowing she had lost this fight. "Fine, I've been missing the royal treatment anyway. Who says Zuko gets to have all the fun?"

He chuckled at this and made their way through the back door, careful not to run into any reporters.

Toph relaxed herself and snuggled her head into his chest. "Just like when my feet got burned, huh?" she joked.

"Ha! Oh, yeah. When Zuko first joined us right?" he exclaimed, remembering.

"Yup. And who was the one who said we could trust him?"

"You?" he wasn't sure where this was going.

"Correct. And who was right?"

"You." he tickled her a bit.

"And who is always right?"

"You, Chief." he chuckled.

"Very good, Councilman!" she wiggled in place and Sokka had to keep his grip to keep her from slipping.

Their laughters were cut short by a voice.

"Toph!" Katara was running towards them, with Aang not far behind, holding a water pouch. "Oh, are you okay? I heard what happened!" she was scanning Toph all over and didn't notice she was being carried by her brother.

"Stop your chattering, Katara. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? We need to get you to the Island, quick!" she gestured Aang to get Appa.

Aang nodded but stopped midway. "I'm fine Sugar Queen. Did you really think anyone could hurt me? A Beifong? Toph Beifong? The greatest earthbender of all time? The one who invented metalbending? The Chief of Police?"

Sokka chuckled and Katara noticed her brother for the first time but didn't bother to acknowledge him. She wasn't surprised he was the one carrying her around.

"No, Toph. You got really hurt back there. You need to to be healed." his voice was stern, yet full of concern.

"Okay, fine. Just make sure no ones comes to asks questions later. My head is in a spin and I'd really like some cactus juice now." she replied.

Sokka chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I have something very special planned for you tonight." He winked at Katara, who winked back.

"Oh do you now, Councilman?" she asked, intrigued.

"Yes, I do. And I assure you there won't be any distractions." he winked at Aang this time.

"Which reminds me," Toph turned her focus on Katara, "how are the kids doing, Sugar Queen?"

Katara was taken aback at the sudden resurrection of her old nickname but chuckled. "They're doing fine, actually. Though I've noticed that Lin and Tenzin are getting closer." she mixed humor in her voice as she nudged her friend by the arm.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm already related to you thanks to this Dunderhead right here."

"Hey!" Sokka protested, halting to a stop from where they were walking to Appa.

Toph held her arms in a surrendering position and gestured for him to keep moving. "Toph Beifong speaks what she wants to speak. And she speaks the truth," she sighed. "All I know is, there's a long journey ahead of us. And this time, it'll be harder than defeating the _Phoenix King of Getting His Butt Whooped!"_

The gaang laughed at the reminiscence of the old nickname. The war times were good times, so it felt. After all, nothing they've faced before could compare to what lay ahead of them.

What new obstacles would they have to face to get to the end of the road? That is, _if_ the get to the end of the road.

**A/N: I haven't proofread everything so if you spot an error, I'd appreciate if you'd alert me so I can correct it. I know that it's quite different from what I had before, so please tell me which version you prefer. I'd continue either one, really, it depends on the publics demands. I don't know if I should just leave it like this or continue, though I am aware that I left a prodigious amount of questions in the text. The updated version of the second chapter of the story will come as soon as it can, so inform me beforehand if you'd like to have the former story plot line rather than the new one. **

**It seems that only today I've noticed that Laikkuseia has followed and favorited my story! I'm so grateful to know that such an amazing artist, and not to mention, hard-core Tokka shipper has read my story! I didn't even know people still view my works. Also, I'm proud to mention that we're both Filipinos! #ProudPinoyRightHere I love her work and I'm excited to see more of it. If you have time, please visit her blog!**

**So thank you to anyone who has read this. Please criticize my work as it helps me improve my writing. I appreciate it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter had been updated as of 7/22/14.**

Katara was a human hogmonkey—fretting and running all around the place, not even bothering to sit down for a minute and rest. But who could blame her? Wouldn't you be that worried if both your brother and somewhat "sister-in-law" got bloodbent by the psycho king of the criminal empire?

The master waterbender was able to help Toph by regaining the flow of blood that was stuck at her nape. Apparently, Yakone had temporarily made a wall of blood just at the back of her head—preventing any blood from flowing through her veins and arteries. This made her unconsciousness prolong and caused many pains and aches down Toph's spine and the hind of her brain.

Very worried but not over-exaggerating, Katara advised the Chief of Police to stay in bed for at least a week and not do any serious bending for the meantime.

Expectedly, Toph protested, saying that her Police Force would need her help greatly with Yakone and the other criminals running around the city. Aang assured her saying she had nothing to worry about because Zhen already had everything under control, and that her officers also asked her to stay in bed.

Sokka was the one who gave the final word and persuaded her to rest. Due to her condition, Sokka's planned event had to wait until further notice. Both the Councilman and Chief were disappointed at this. Object, they did, but rules were rules. And when Katara put on her motherly act, they knew they had to obey her no matter what.

A knock sounded at the door and Toph called for the visitor to enter. Since she was situated on the bed, her feet made no such contact with her element. She was blind for the time being, but, in truth, she wasn't scared at all. The bender knew her friends and family would be there to help her when she needed them.

In her arms, the mother cradled a one-year old baby girl. Her hair was curled, skin dark like her father, and face just as her mother's. With eyes closed, she made a cooing sound that seemed like she was snoring in her own little baby way.

"Hey babe," addressed the guest as he set foot into the room. He closed the door behind him with a flick of his shoulder and set the tray he was carrying on the table beside the bed.

Toph closed her eyes as Sokka planted a warn kiss on her temple. She mentioned for him to sit beside her and moved over to the edge of the bed. He happily agreed and snuggled close to her. Pulling up the blanket for them to use, he put an arm around her shoulders as she rested her head on him.

They sat like that for a while in comfortable silence. Each other's presence enough for them. Only when the baby moved did the parents move as well.

The infant began to voice a soft cry.

Toph sighed as she informed him, "I've been trying to make her sleep but she keeps waking up every ten minutes."

"Have you tried feeding her?" Sokka asked as she brought the baby into his arms.

"Trice," she replied.

The moment the child inhaled the scent of the Water Tribesman, she stopped her whining. They both just smiled as he swayed her back and forth in a rhythmic motion. Hymns and hums of when he was a child came out of his mouth as he rocked the baby to sleep. In a few short minutes, the infant did just that.

The Councilman kissed her temple just like he did to his lover and embraced her even more.

"You're going to do great things when you grow up, Su, I just know it," he said as he caressed her cheek with his thumb, "just like your mother."

Toph broke into a grin and kissed her daughter as well. "We love you so much, darling, don't you ever forget that."

"Everything we're doing is for you," he continued, "all this secret keeping sacrifices are for your own good. I hope, when you're older, you'll understand—understand why we had to do it."

A tear streamed down both their faces.

The weight of everything was almost too much for them to handle; they were doing their best to remain strong, for her, and for themselves as well.

"I know we're not the best parents," she added, "but we'll do the best we can."

"It'll be hard, with all the restrictions."

"But we'll make it through."

"I know we will," with that, he brought his free hand up to her chin. Moving her face towards his, he kissed her gently as more tears fell.

"Do you think what we're doing is right, Sokka?" Toph asked for what seemed to be he hundredth time since Su was born, although knowing what he would say.

"I hope so—it's our only option." Putting his arm back around her, she lay her head on his shoulder as he laid his atop hers.

"Our only option," she repeated.

They stayed like that as both reflected on their choices.

Was it right of them to keep Sokka's parenting to Su a secret? Was it right of them to tell Lin about it and request her to keep her mouth sealed? Was it right of them to tell the Gaang? Was it right for Toph to tell Zhen? Was it right of Sokka to tell his ex, Suki? Was it right of them to keep it a secret from Su herself? What would she say or ask when she's older? When they tell her the truth, would she be mad at them? Be furious at them? Was it right for them to jump to the possibility of Su getting hurt just because both her parents had rising enemies that could harm her? Was it right of them to keep their relationship a secret from the start? Furthermore, was it right for them to ever be in a relationship?

These questions wandered through both of their minds and it gave them a headache. Both tried to shake the thoughts off and focus on the here and now. They had to be grateful for what they got. Whatever happened in the past was behind them. They had to look ahead. Not looking back.

"Did Katara finish cooking dinner yet?" the earthbender asked, equally eager to change the subject and genuinely hungry.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me." he acknowledged, passing Su back to Toph and getting out of the bed. He lifted the tray he held earlier and placed it carefully on her lap. "Katara told me to bring this to you since she wouldn't allow you get out of bed."

"I was bloodbent, not paralyzed!" she exclaimed. "I can still walk!"

This earned a chuckle from her companion. "Yeah, well, she doesn't seem to think so."

"S_ugar Queen,"_ she murmured irritatedly. "Well, what do you think? The Chief of Police can handle herself perfectly, can't she?"

"I think," he responded as he moved to kiss her cheek, "that you can do anything."

This made Toph blush a little. Even after so many years, Sokka still managed to make her do it every time he praised her. It made it difficult for her to maintain a stoic face ever time he mentioned her during trials. Especially the one of Yakone's, she literally wanted to pounce at him.

She struggled a bit with getting a hold of the chopsticks before her due to the big bundle of flesh in her arms.

"Oh, let me take her," Sokka offered, spreading his arms and leaning forward on the bed.

"No, let me," she dismissed, waving her hand in the air.

"Uh-" he was about to say until:

"Lin!" the Beifong called, loud enough to be heard by the whole island. She had to cover young daughter's ears for she knew how loud it was. She didn't want her child to be deaf. A blind mother _and_ a blind daughter? _No._

Sokka did the same as well, though he was used to Toph's screams by now.

Not a second later, a little head peeped through the door. The young eight-year-old had light-darkish curly hair just like her father, and porcelain skin like her mother.

The dark-skinned warrior motioned for her to come in. She did what she was told and close the door behind her with her foot. She approached her step-dad and gave a him a kiss on the cheek, to which Sokka had to lean down.

"Hi dad," she whispered.

He smiled in return and ran a hand through her hair. "Hey there, Linny."

She replied with a grin, the little earthbender was fond of her nickname.

Toph sarcastically cleared her throat. "Ahem? What about your mom over here?"

Lin chuckled, walking up to her mother and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "What do you need mom?"

"Oh yeah, I need you to take care of Su for a minute." Toph answered.

Her daughter's face scrunched together a bit. But of course, she was careful that her step-dad couldn't see it, as her mom was obviously unaware of her present features.

Ever since her half-sister was born more than a year ago, her parents have been spending more time with Su than her. She understood it, of course, Su was just a baby and needed to be constantly taken care of. What she also understood, was that her mother might be favoring Su more.

Lin knew all too well Sokka and Toph's relationship and how hard they struggled for it. They had feelings for each other from the moment they were teens. Both had to go through so much just to be where they are now. Even if it was unexpected, Su was the perfect gift to her parents. They even said that Su may be the only thing they did right in their lives.

This comment struck Lin a bit, but she understood nonetheless. She was the result of a drunk one-night stand between her mother and her business partner. Her real father and her mother once had a relationship with each other, but it was forced and the feelings one-sided. Satoru loved Toph in a way he thought was _true love._ But to her, and everyone else, it was just an effect of meeting your idol and role model in person and finding out that your uncle and her father have a business together.

To be honest, Toph literally had no part and choice in their relationship. It was arranged by her parents, _obviously_. Although they've made amends, and her parents agreed to let her live her own life, they requested, and maybe even _begged_, that she just try a relationship with Satoru and see how it goes. If something ever blossoms, it will be very good for business.

The metalbender, of course, agreed to it to please her parents. Every thing between them was okay, yes, but there was still that gap in their relationship that Toph wanted to fill. And she thought the best way to do that was to submit to their request.

The relationship started out nice and slow, and Toph was glad Satoru consented into not kissing her or giving her any sort of romantic affection. It all went smoothly, except for the part where Sokka was constantly mad at Satoru every time they met.

Years into their relationship, Sokka couldn't take it anymore and confessed his feelings to Toph. She was surprised, of course, but utterly glad because even she felt the same way after all the years. She just had a knack of hiding it. They both agreed to have a secret romance that no one else would know.

This went on for Ravaa knows how long! Toph was going to tell Satoru that she couldn't do it anymore one night in a bar. She told him that they would both tell their parents in the morning. Satoru, unexpectedly, was furious but kept a cool demeanor. He gave Toph too much cactus juice in one drink and as the night passed, she became drunk.

She wasn't in her right mind so Satoru tooka advantage of that. He led her to his apartment and one thing led to another. The morning Toph woke, she was inrrefutably furious. She nearly exploded if it weren't for Sokka looking for her and finding her in the house of the bastard.

Toph went berserk and sent Satoru away for good, but not without giving him a few hits, punches, kicks, and sending him to jail for a week. When her parents found out, they apologized and told her they'd never tell her to do something she didn't want again.

Being the compassionate type, Sokka didn't get mad, but did the exact opposite. He told Toph that he would raise the child as his own and that they could finally live as a family together. Though still in secret, of course. Precautions had to be made, especially during those times where criminality was at its peak.

Through the years, Sokka and Lin shared a bond even stronger than father-and-daughter. They confided in each other anything. Lin told him what she wasn't comfortable telling her mother.

With Su born seven years later, Sokka spent less time with her, but time nonetheless. She was grateful for that.

Even if her mother favored her sister more than her, she wouldn't complain. Although she was a little jealous, how could she protest? I mean, who would want the child of a bastard? An unwanted child? The child with a guy she never loved?

Her mother told her she loved her and that she was a blessing. She believed this of course, though through the years, she was starting to question that statement. So far, she had a wonderful family. And even it wasn't perfect, it was perfect in her eyes.

She would take care and look out for her new sister. She would make her step-dad proud, and live up to her mother's expectations. This was her goal. And it was planted in her mind at such a young age. She knew what she had to do, and allowed time to fix the rest.

"Of course, mom." she replied politely, taking her sister in her arms.

"Take her to Aunt Katara for a minute and you can go play with Kya or something." Toph added.

"Okay," she said as she headed towards the door.

Sokka gave both his daughters a kiss on the forehead and opened the door for them.

"Thanks, Lin!" Toph called after her.

The mother sighed contentedly after she heard the door close shut. "My kids are growing up, aren't they."

Moving to sit in front of her and crossing his legs, Sokka helped Toph sit up, saying, "_Our_ kids."

"Oh, yeah, right. My kids' father is a Meathead, how could I forget?" she joked, slamming her palm on her forehead with a sound.

Both parties laughed as they were in the proper sitting position.

Toph motioned for her chopsticks but Sokka slapped her hands away from the tray.

"Nu uh, you're the patient—let me do it." he declared.

A sly smirk appeared on the bender's face as she replied with humor, "Well, then Councilman, what are you waiting for?"

Opening her mouth like a child being spoon-fed, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

Chuckling at the childish gesture, Sokka opened the bowl of rice and roasted duck. He took a piece of each and brushed the tip of the food against Toph's lips. She closed her mouth to find no food.

"Hey!" she protested as she heard her lover chewing her food.

"Mmmm... Tastes good, Toph! Nice meat! You should try it!" he bragged.

The Chief just chuckled and grabbed the chopsticks from where she thought he hand would be. She was spot on. He chuckled as he grabbed it back and popped food in her mouth before she could protest.

Almost choking because of the sudden meat in her mouth, she chortled as soon as she swallowed. He snickered when she reached for the glass and drank some water. Placing the cup down, she got a handful of chopped cabbages and shot it in his mouth. He too almost choked and it was Toph's turn her snicker.

This started an all out food war and each threw rations of the meal one after another. The room was soon a mess with the water spilled on the floor sauce stained on the bed.

Their laughter filled the whole island even as the lay on the floor, clothes food stained. They tackled each other as the battle went on.

Moments like this, they were to be treasured. Acting like they were kids once again was one of the rarest things they did anymore. But when they were alone, when they had time, they didn't act like mushy lovers all the time. They used minutes merely acting like best friends and having the time of their lives.

To each other, Toph was still twelve and Sokka fifteen.

Age didn't matter to them as long as they had fun. And fun they had.

**A/N: It's late here and I can't believe I finished a whole chapter in just one sitting. Once again, I haven't proofread it and please alert me if you find any mistakes along the way. Your criticisms and reviews help greatly so don't be hesitant to say whatever you ****think. **

**Please tell me which version you like better if the flow of this plot is okay. Also, if you would like to see anything, or if you're expecting anything, in the future chapters, inform me so that I may squeeze it in if possible. **

**Okay so far? Thanks to everyone who read this and thank you to _Joannie2256 _for reviewing my last updated chapter, I appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure about this?"

"Certainly."

"What if—"

"Zuko, stop," she said, placing her hand over his mouth, "I heard what I heard. It's true."

The whole room sighed and looked down.

Head facing the ceiling, Mai asked in her deadpan voice, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," the Fire Lord said, taking the waterbender's palm off his lips, "if the press knows about this, _they're_ dead."

Shaking his head, Aang informed, "No, the press was sent away before _it _happened. Only the Police Force know about it."

"Well isn't that just great! The _press_ don't know about but the people who can _put them in jail_ do?!" the hot headed firebender exclaimed sarcastically.

"Calm down, Zuko. Toph trusts them, so we should too." Katara said motherly.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing! What if one of them opens his mouth—then _we're _all dead?! You know the press will give a reward to anyone who can provide them with juicy information. We should make them sign papers or something!" he replied.

"Hold your horses," Mai coaxed, putting a hand on her husband's shoulder, "Aang already talk to the Force earlier this morning—they all promised no to say a word about it. Plus, Toph will surely talk to them when she gets back. She's the Chief of Police, after all. She established the Force. We have nothing to worry about."

The scar-faced 44 year old sighed.

"Okay, okay, you're right. I'm just a little worried, that's all. Toph is like a little sister to me, and Sokka's a good brother too. I don't want to see them get hurt or go to jail or anything; especially with Su born just a year ago and Lin in the picture. They've—we've all tried our hardest to keep this relationship a secret for so long. Toph and Sokka have gone through so much already and they haven't even lived half their lives. We don't need to remind them of their present troubles when they're so calm and care-free already." he said with his head in his hand.

The rest had troubled looks, but their questions were answered when the laughters of their companions echoed through the other room. The quartet looked towards the wall from where the sounds were coming from. Each broke into small and sad smiles.

"Yeah, remember when we all first found out Toph was pregnant with Su?" Aang remembered aloud, lowering his voice. "None of us knew what to do, and the two didn't sleep for a week straight! We were all frantic with what to do and what to say to everyone. We couldn't keep a level head."

"It was a good thing Toph was able to recover from the news first, even if she was the one with child." Katara provided with pride in her somewhat sister-in-law. "At least the two were able to come up with a decision before the 4th month."

"But the question is: did they do the _right _thing?" Zuko asked, eyeing his friends.

Moving her head from side to side slowly, she replied, "That doesn't matter. What's done is done. I just kind of feel guilty from not being able to help them when they asked us to."

"Hey, Toph and Sokka are smart. They didn't get elected Chief of Police and Councilman for nothing. Personally, I think they did the right thing." Mai commented, sitting up.

"With keeping Su's parentage a secret or them kissing in front of people?" questioned the Avatar jokingly.

"Both," the non-bender answered anyway, smirking. "The truth will always reveal itself sooner or later, no mater what we do. This is just a small step in everyone finding out."

"But, what about," Zuko paused, gulping, "_them_?"

Horror flashed through their faces.

"No," Katara responded first, solemnly. "_They_ must never find out. Ravaa knows what the consequences will be! _Someone _will get hurt, and we might not be in time to stop it. For now, we continue to do our best to keep our mouths shut. For their sakes, and for our sakes as well. We will not lose any part of this family."

The rest nodded as silence took over.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know—"Why in Ravaa's name is this chapter so short?! It's been more than a week and this is all we get?!" It's the shortest the shortest thing I've uploaded in the history of... Ever!**

**But please bear with me when I say that I had absolutely NO time. I tried my best and I just couldn't. But I promise I'll be updating more frequently after next week.**

**With Tokka Week 2014 dawning upon us, and my finals just 3 days away, I pray to God that I may be able to do both. It'll be my first Tokka Week ever and I want to be a part of it! Especially since it might be the last Tokka Week we'll have before Bryke announces whether our ship is canon or not.**

**Whatever happens, review, criticize and comment! Many thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I just wrote this entire chapter today so I'm tired and my brain is inevitably out of ideas. **

**Since I missed Tokka Week, as you all know, I'll be writing this chapter for Day 1: TLC. The previous one I wrote for this prompt was taken out to be replaced by this big hunk of text. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was at the brink of dawn when gentle winds entered a room in Air Temple Island. The once neat bed was now clumps of sheets—piles of cloth either scattered or draped over the sides. Food that was played with the day before laid peacefully on the floor, already starting to give off a certain odor.

The snoring man had his arm around the woman in the bed. Her head was rested on his chest; it made a mark or her right cheek. Their legs were intertwined together as the couple slept peacefully. Although Toph was still in certain pain, she chose to ignore the feeling; playing and sleeping with her lover.

Anyone seeing their position might have thought it was an uncomfortable one—their limbs were tangled here and there. What the average person might not know is that the best friends have made a sort of "way" to how they slept. They knew which arm or leg went over or under what. They'd formed this arrangement even before they knew their platonic feelings for each other.

As the sun slowly rose and unfolded on the earthbender's face, her eyes began to flutter open. Sounds of cricket-birds chirping were evident from the garden. Their noise gave a certain alarm that assisted the bender in waking.

She motioned to sit up, but her entire upper body seemed numb as another figure had his arms around her shoulders. Toph broke into a morning grin as she kissed the cheek of the dark-skinned warrior.

Toph gently removed the arm of her beloved and placed it right beside him. She swung her feet across the bed and stood up—carelessly forgetting her condition. Pain shot from her legs all the way up to he neck. She screeched in agony as she fell backwards.

The Councilman had felt his wife's kiss the moment her lips touched his cheeks. He was already used to Toph waking earlier than him so he didn't bother stirring. Suddenly, he sensed something bad was going to happen when he felt Toph moving to the edge of the bed. Something in him sparked and he was able to act before her screams reached his ears. Call it luck, or something of the sort, but Sokka knew there was always this something telling him what to do whenever it involved protecting Toph. During the Final Battle, Sokka promised to himself atop that airship that he would never let anything bad happen to Toph. Ever. It seemed that through the years, his body knew what his heart and mind wanted and did it without a moment's notice. And although it proved to be quite faulty when he wasn't able to reach her during the trial, he knew he would never make the same mistake again.

As soon as she felt muscular arms behind her, she knew she would be okay. She silently thanked the spirits.

Sokka wrapped his arms around her waist and let her head fall softly to his shoulder.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble for one week?" he tried to joke.

"Hey, causing trouble is limitless. I do it when I want to, wherever I want to," she remarked, inhaling deeply and feeling much better.

"You really are something, you know that?"

"Of course I do, but you could live to mention it more, Councilman."

"Always my pleasure, Chief. But why don't we get you _off _this floor and _on _the bed."

"Always the life of the party," she said sarcastically.

"Hey! I'm only looking out for you. You know that."

"I know, I know, Mr. Worrypuss. Besides, I'm not _on _the floor, I'm _on _you."

Sokka blushed slightly at the truth of the statement. To cover it up, he prepared himself and got right up, carrying Toph in his arms. To his surprise, Toph didn't say a word. She even circled her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What? No sassy remark this time? No insult? No 'put me down, Idiot!'?"

"Nah, you deserve the exercise. You've slacken of on your training these past few days and look how weak it's gotten you."

"Hey! I still train!"

"When?"

"…"

"Exactly my point."

"It's not that easy carrying you, you know."

"Oh really? I've heard I'm lighter than the rest of the Gaang."

"Well, that is true, but you're still not that light."

"You calling me fat, Bucko?" she warned.

"No, of course not," he replied nonchalantly, as if he didn't hear the danger in Toph's voice.

"Then what are you trying to prove exactly?"

"Well, you're—no. You're—no. Uh..." he tried thinking of ways to explain it.

"You sure you wanna have this conversation with me, Stupid?" she provoked. He was glad he sensed the warning this time.

"No."

"Good, then just put me on the bed so that your baby-factory sister can heal me already."

"Katara's not a baby-making-factory! She's my little sister!"

"Uh hu, that _definitely_ explains why she already has 3 kids—them children not too far apart as well," she looked thoughtful. "Actually, I'm glad she chose to take those herbal teas I gave her. If it weren't for those, she and Twinkletoes would be housing an army of benders and non-benders."

"Hey!" he paused, thinking. "Wait, where did you get those teas?"

"Iroh made them for me."

"And why would he do that?"

"For precaution."

"…"

"Come on, Dumby! Don't you'd think I'd be more careful with the number of times you knock me up every week? I _was not_ ready to have _another_ child after Lin. She nearly immobilized me! I looked like I was hiding a giant watermelon under my clothes for 9 months!"

"Don't pretend you didn't like them," he said seductively, then began kissing up her arm.

"I _did _like them and I still _do_," she replied, pushing Sokka's head away after a few kisses.

"Wait, how about Su?"

"Oh, I don't think I drank the tea that time. Must have forgotten."

"When?"

"What do you mean _when?_"

"I mean when did you forget to drink the tea?"

She thought for a moment, "Huh, I forgot. It's your fault anyway—you won't let be alone by myself. You jump at every chance you get, Playboy."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for."

Toph punched him in the shoulder as they ended that part of their conversation. He placed her gently on the bed, fluffing the pillows for her to lean on.

"Get your sister. My neck's starting to ache again. I need some of her magic water thingamajig," she commanded casually, snuggling against the pillows.

When she received no answer, she sat up a bit. "Snoozles? Any day now."

"I was thinking of trying something else," was his final reply. The sound of his voice was coming from the far end of the bed. _What's he going to do now? _she thought.

"And what would that be, Oh Great Wise One?"

"You'll see."

With that, the Water Tribesman motioned to sit at the bottom of the bed, just before the earthbender's feet. He carefully placed each one on his lap and starting rubbing circles on her soles.

"Just what the Spirits are you doing?" she asked, despite enjoying the treatment very much. It's not everyday you get your feet massaged by your ever-so-loving husband.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Something stupid."

"You sure?"

"And… Something that could get your butt earthbended to the roof."

"Right and right," he said as he continued to rub her feet.

"But seriously, just _what_ do you think you're doing?"

"For the greatest earthbender in the world, I'd guess you're pretty slow," he teased.

In return, Toph kicked him just above the groin. Since he was used to her punches by now, Sokka was able to recover quickly.

"That just shows how much you love me too, babe," he played; and was met with a similar answer.

"Okay, okay," he continued. "I guess you're referring to _why _am I, a _useless _non-bender, massing your, the oh so great inventor of _metalbending_, feet."

"Finally got it right, Idiot!" she said sarcastically happy. "Now keep talking, Bub."

"Well," he explained sheepishly, "I just thought—well since with your condition and all—that _I _could make you feel better, you know? Ever since you got hurt, and _every_ time you get hurt, Katara's always the one who heals you with her healing waters or whatnot. You're better in a jiffy. And what do I do? Nothing. I just feel like I've not been a very good husband, or even a best friend. No person will let their best friend get hurt without trying to make them feel better. I don't feel like I can do _anything_ really. I'm not a waterbending healer. But—I just wanna _try_ or even make you feel a _little _better."

He had stopped working with his hands and was now looking out the window. Meanwhile, Toph had scooted near him and gently moved his chin to face her.

"Hey," she started off softly, she knew that one of Sokka's main insecurities was his fear of being _useless_ or _not being able to do anything._ It wasn't a foreign thing to her. She knew about this because every best friend knows each others flaws. The thing that bonds their friendship together, is the fact that they choose to be with each other _despite_ their imperfections.

But, what she _was_ surprised of, was Sokka opening up to her in a time like this. It wasn't that it was a _bad_ time. They could open to each other at anytime—24/7. It's also not like they hadn't had this conversation about this topic before—they had a good few of them before they both reached their early 20's. Toph was just in a kind of shock—it's been so long since he brought this topic up.

"You know, Sokka, you're becoming too much a softy for my liking," since she didn't know how to handle the situation, she decided to begin it like she always began things—with a joke. To her surprise, though, it still brought out a chuckle from her companion.

"You know," she continued, "you shouldn't think like that. _You_ know you're not useless. You know that _I_ don't think you're useless."

"But what about—" he interrupted. Despite everything, he was still Sokka.

Knowing what memory he would bring up, she immediately replied, "Sokka, come on, that was _28 years ago_! I was just entering the group! Let go of the past already, sheash!"

They both laughed a bit, lightening up the mood.

The incident they were both referring to, of course, was when Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai were chasing them all around. They weren't able to get sleep. Iroh was shot that time too.

"What I'm trying to say is," she persisted, "you're a great best friend—the best one anyone could have—and add that to the fact that you're not-so-bad a lover and a wonderful father." he chuckled—it was rare he would hear Toph praise him for _anything, anything at all—_he could get used to it. Using her normal sassy voice, she said, "You know, Snoozles, _personally_, I don't think you've been any less than a healer. You know why? Well, for starters, you 'heal' me with your jokes, nicknames, arguments with me," adding more affectionately, "_and_ your kisses, drunk nights, and overall having one hell of a time! Besides, you and I both know I'm not the sappy type and I ain't looking for no drama story. I've got enough already."

"You were never really the sappy type," he commented, pinching her nose. "And that's how I like it: my wife's one in a million!"

"And you know it! So can we get all over this softy talk? We just had one not so long ago and I think one is enough for me," she knew Sokka wouldn't be offended—he knew she loved him but just wasn't that type of person who gave pep talks, he accepted and loved that about her. Toph smiled slyly. "In the meantime, why don't you give me that massage you were talking about earlier? I guess my back still hurts and I would just love a rub on the feet. What'dya say?"

Sokka laughed and shook his head—Toph was Toph and that's how he liked it.

She moved back up the bed and rested her feet on his knees.

"Don't you think I'll get too sappy giving you some tender loving care?" he teased, starting to knead her foot.

"Tender loving what now?"

"Tender loving—ugh never mind. What I mean is—you don't think it's too touchy with me taking care of you like this? When you're all worked up?" he hoped he could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"Eh, as long as you're doing all the work, and I'm getting all the treatment, then I guess some touchy loving—whatever you call it—isn't bad from time to time."

They didn't say anything for the duration of the therapy. Sokka moved up from Toph's feet to her legs, arms, shoulders, back, and finally neck. Throughout it all, the metalbender couldn't help but give soft sighs and moans. _He hit so many delicate spots, how could I not? _she debated with herself. After each body part, she felt her body getting better and better each time. _Huh, maybe this _is _better than Sugar Queen's healing waters. He should _definitely_ do this more often. _

Toph relaxed against the covers while Sokka did his work. He moved from her feet, up to her legs, to each hand, and up her arms. He took significant time in making sure Toph would be better by the time he finished. As he advanced to her back, she couldn't help but arch a little when her nerves and muscles were all smoothed out.

Sighs and moans of contentment left her mouth as warm, calloused hands massage her neck ever so gently. _He hit so many delicate spots, how could I not? _she debated with herself. He made small circles with his thumbs from her nape to her back, up and down all over again. Making them bigger, he started to put in a little more force into his circles.

As every second passed, she felt her body grow more and more back to its good ol' self again. She had to admit—this kind of treatment was way better than Katara's waterbending. _Huh, maybe this _is _better than Sugar Queen's healing waters. He should _definitely_ do this more often. _

When he finished, Toph felt like her body was on a cloud—every muscle and nerve in her body, relaxed. He couldn't think of doing anything when he was done, so Sokka just let her body rest against his and started stroking her hair.

"Wow, babe," she said after almost half an hour had passed, "you really _are_ good. Way better than Katara. Thanks. Don't believe I ever knew you could do that."

"There's a lot of things I can do, babe, you just like denying them. What'dya think?—that I had no skills what so ever with my hands?"

"Well, sorta…"

"Seriously, babe? _These hands_ have been with you for countless nights and you _still_ question their power?" he asked incredulously with a big bucket of sarcasm.

She started picking her nose and only gave out one syllable:

"Eh."

Minutes passed, and as Sokka leaned down for a kiss—

"Kya! Get back here!" —he was met with the screams of kids. There were splashes of water and lashes of fire heard from the other side of the wall.

"Wait, Aangela's here?" the Beifong asked, leaning a bit over the edge of the bed to hear a little bit better.

"You'll never catch me!" Kya teased.

"Oh yeah I will!" shouted her best friend as they ran out of earshot.

"Sure sounded like her," Toph commented, looking expectantly at her man.

"Uh," Sokka rubbed his chin Wang-Fire-Style as he pretended to remember, "yeah! Mai and Zuko came here yesterday when they heard about Yakone and what happened to you."

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" she stated, elbowing him in the gut, satisfied with the groan made by the victim.

"Sorry, it just didn't crossed my mind," he apologized.

"Well aren't you just always forgetful," she scooted out from between his legs and sat on the edge of the bed. The massage she just received did wonders to her pain and she could barely feels the stingy feeling anymore.

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay?" he apologized once again, following her actions. "Just got carried away."

"And what carried you away, if I might ask," she deadpanned.

"You, of course," he said genuinely with a smile.

He was answered with the slightest curl of the lips; but also met with a sarcastic answer: "Awww, now help me up here!"

He sighed. _Can't blame a man for trying._

"Uh, hello?" Toph called unto Sokka as he was blocking her from getting out of the bed entirely.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry," she brought her legs to the edge of the bed and was about to stand when Sokka pushed her back down.

"What gives?" she snapped as she almost slid of the edge.

"Remember what happened earlier? I need to help you—"

She stopped his with a hand in midair.

"I don't—" she started.

"—need any help," he interrupted this time.

"And I can—"

"—do things on your own," he finished.

With an annoyed look on her face, she crossed her arms and gave a cute pout. She both hated and loved it when Sokka finished her sentences for her.

"I know, babe," he continued, "you never fail to remind me each day."

They both smirked at the truth of it.

He moved to pinch her cheek but was met with Toph attempting to bite him; he withdrew his hand and chuckled. "Same old, same old."

"Fine, if that's what you want," she submitted, wanting to look annoyed but obviously failing—she had this big smile planted on her face. "Just hurry up and help me get to the bathroom. I need to change all these sticky food sticking to my clothes. 'Tara's gonna be furious."

"Come on, babe, I don't think she'll get angry with you just recovering from Yakone."

"If you think that, Sokka, then you don't know your own sister," she pointed his squarely on the chest. "She may not be mad at _this_," she held up the food-stained white dress she borrowed, "_but_ she'll definitely be mad at me moving too much."

"Moving, 'smoving," he waved off with a move of his hand. "I'll take care of it, babe, don't you worry."

"If only you _knew how,_" she muttered to herself.

"What was that, _dear_?" he asked, pretending not to hear.

"Nothing, Stupid! Just help me up so I can see my niece again. It's been almost a year." She put her arm around his shoulder for support. He did the same by encircling her waist with his arm as well.

"Wait a minute, why are you so excited to see Zuko, Mai, and Aangela anyway?" he asked, curious, as they motioned towards the bathroom in small steps.

"Well, Aangela promised me something the last time she came here and I expect to get it from her this week, at max. Zuko's kinda of my older brother so there's that. And Mai, well, she still has to finish our conversation. And—oh yeah! The two aangsty love birds and I have a bet we need to fulfill this week as well. That reminds me—I made you part of the bet as well, babe."

"Wait, _what_?" he asked, giving in to a halt. "You _know _I always _lose_ in bets with you and the 'Fire Lord couple'! What did you bet with me on this time?" they started moving again.

"You'll find out in time, babe, don't ya worry."

"Come on, Toph, I at least get the right to know who and what I'm betting on."

"Nope. It's gonna be a surprise. But don't worry, we both betted on the same thing so if you lose, I lose too. Plus, I have a feeling we'll be winning the bet _this_ time."

"Okay, but how much did you bet?"

Toph tiptoed and Sokka bent down. She whispered the answer in his ear.

"_How much?!_" he shouted incredulously.

"Relax!" she coaxed. "She's got some real potential. _I _trained her after all. It'll be fine!"

"Who now?" he asked, although already having an idea of the _person_ he was betting on and _what_ he was betting on.

They finished cleaning each other up just as Katara entered with a tray of food. The waterbender almost spilled the whole breakfast when she saw her brother and her friend—both wet from the shower and only dressed in towels. What's more, it looked as if they had _quite a time_ in the bathroom. Both had their cheeks flushed and were grinning like Cheshire cat.

In truth, really, she wasn't that surpised. This _was_ Toph and Sokka after all. But what pissed her off was the fact that _Toph was out of bed._

_Great, just great,_ she thought.

"What in Ravaa's name do you think you're doing, Toph?" she asked pissed, but also concerned. The wife of the Avatar placed the tray on the nearby table and approached the couple. "You could hurt yourself again!"

"Pish, posh, Sugar Queen, I'm fine!" she said as Katara helped her to a chair. "Your brother here did some work and I was all better."

The waterbender the Water Tribesman a vexed and crossed look, commenting, "I can see that."

"It's not what it sounds like, 'Tara," his brother tried to explain. "I mean, we _did _have some _fun,_ but—oh never mind. Who cares anyway."

The best friends laughed at this.

"Right you are. Besides, you," she pointed to Katara, "have no business on what we _do._"

"Fine, whatever. Get hit by a Satomobile for all I care. Just get _dressed_. Zuko's here and he's waiting for you. He said something about a bet you two have," she wasn't that sure. Toph, Zuko, and Sokka got into all kinds of mischief all the time it was hard to keep count.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Well, let's get you fixed up already."

"Oh, wait. That reminds me—where's Su?"

"And here I thought you forgot about your own child," Katara teased and earned a flick in the forehead.

"Well?"

"Don't worry, she's in _our_ room. She slept with Lin last night but Aang brought her in earlier when the kids started playing and running around."

"Okay, thanks, Katara. You really could house 6 kids."

"Haha, very funny."

"At least I _am_ funny," this earned chuckles from the man in the back.

"Whatever. Let's get you in your clothes. Sokka?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Get out for a sec, okay? I think you did enough _work_ on her already."

"Not nearly enough," muttered both Toph and Sokka at the same time. They blushed when they realized what each other had said.

"Wow," Katara deadpanned, "no wonder you two were meant for each other."

"Whatever," they both said again.

"Hey, babe," the Councilman called after a moment of awkward silence. "I'm gonna change in our room then get Su, okay?"

Toph nodded.

"See you guys in the kitchen," he walked up to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek before leaving.

After the door closed and another one opened, Katara asked the question she was waiting to ask she arrived, not failing to leave out the irritation and subtle anger:

"And just _what_ were you and my brother doing the whole morning?"

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter is really long. Technically, it isn't even done yet—I had to cut the next scene for another chapter. Anyway, I hope this makes up for my absences. **

**I had my finals this week and am waiting for the results. Also, if I receive low grades, don't expect frequent updates since I won't be allowed to use the computer. But if I fair in the exams, then you'll definitely get a spam of Tokka chapters.**

**Aside from that, I have this big idea of a series of Tokka one shots, each a year after the other. If ever, I won't be placing all of them under one story. They'll be posted individually but I'll be giving some information for you to know which goes before which. Technically, they'll be dated from when Toph and Sokka were 15 and 18 until they were 20 and 23 or until I run out of ideas. It will start off with friendship, then I'll explain their early years and stages of their relationship. Overall, it'll be a series full of shenanigans, escapades, fights, battles, dances, field trips, romance, adventure, jealously, and maybe a little drama sprinkled on it.**

**To be honest, I don't really know how to put TLC to words. I hope this was an okay version for it. **

**Expect the next chapter before the week ends!**

**Read, review, comment, and criticize—all remarks are welcome. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Has it really been more than 2 weeks since I updated? Yes, yes it has. **

**Once again I apologize and I know there is no suitable excuse for my absence. It's been so long and I don't even know my final scores yet. Sucks, no?**

**To set that aside, HAS ANYONE SEEN THE FINALE OF BOOK ?!**

**I will not say anything about it except that I cannot begin to fathom the words I need to express my feelings for it. It was... intense. For those who haven't watched it yet, I will not spoil you. But I warn you: be prepared with a box of tissues and a lot of other stuff.**

* * *

Su lay asleep, relaxed on her father's chest.

Sokka had entered the room earlier—wanting to check on the baby that was mostly out of his sight the day before. As he looked on her petite form, he couldn't help but pick her up and sway her from side to side.

"Ya know, kid, you've grown up so much. You're not that squishy little thing I first saw anymore," he chuckled, "you were so chubby then. And although I'd love to see you grow up, don't—don't grow up too fast, I mean. Look at your sister Lin—she's turned into a beautiful young girl who has certainly picked up after her mother," with a softer and disgusted tone, he added, "and thank Ravaa not that bastard of a guy," he sighed. "Soon, she'll be in the Force and boys will be crawling all over her, not just for her looks or abilities, but her personality as well," Sokka laughed uncomfortably at the thought of _boys_ _all over his daughter._ "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you—that whatever or whoever you turn out to be, know that I'll always be proud of you, your mother as well." With that, he kissed her head and motioned to set her back on the _crib_ her made just for her.

All too suddenly, a swoosh came from behind the warrior. This caused his to shiver and almost jump in surprise as the cool air made contact with his skin. He turned back to see a sweating and panting Avatar, still trying to catch his breath.

Once the air circulation in the bending mater's lungs were improving, he began to give out between breaths, "Out—th—yo—bet—wife—Zuko—fight—kids."

"What?" Sokka asked—though greatly bewildered by the unexpected interruption—on a whisper as to not wake the sleeping child.

"Bring—you—Su—now—watch—bending—Toph—cheer—expects—go," he attempted again but failed miserably.

"What? Spit it out, man!" the warrior demanded, quite tired of his friend's confusing antics.

Taking a deep breath and letting it go, Aang got his voice back again and informed, though in haste and almost too fast to understand, "There's a bending battle happening outside and Toph needs you because of a bet she made with Zuko—she needs your part of the share so she can show Zuko that she's not joking and really has the money—Lin and Aangela are fighting to see who the best bender is and the bet is obviously based on that—your wife needs you outside right now or else she will have a fit and we all know how she gets when she's angry—the battle's almost starting and she doesn't want to waste another minute—Toph threatened to shoot me in the air again if I didn't get you so I had to come as fast as I could and although I can alwwgmost avoid it you know how Katara wants be to let Toph have her way especially since she's hurt and I most definitely don't want to get another bruise on my bum since it's still recovering from last time—I also need you to go there since I'm afraid the kids might get hurt since they will also get profit and you know how Lin and Aangela gets when they're aggressive—they're as hot-headed and determined as their parents—and oh yeah Toph told me you could bring Su if she isn't sleeping but I can very well see that she is so scratch that and get your butt over there so I could watch and rest in peace and get some water."

For the sole reason of talking like that himself sometimes and knowing the Avatar for years, Sokka was able to understand every word. He put Su down some time during the rant and was right beside his friend.

Placing a hand on the Airbender's shoulder, the Councilman said with a giggle, "See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" He left and headed towards the sounds of cheers.

Sighing, Aang bended water from the air, and, quickly cleansing it in an earth cup with his firebending, drank it, shook his head, and ran.

* * *

"Kick her ass, Lin!"

"Toph! That's no way to speak to the children!"

"Oh, lighten up, _Mrs. Avatar._ It's not everyday I get to see a good fight with getting actual profit from it!"

"Ha ha, Toph, it's not like you ever _see_ anything," Katara jested, which earned her a sarcastic laugh from the earthbender and an earth pillar up her chair.

"Yeah!" the Firelord agreed. "And you're not the winner yet, Toph. Aangela has as much a good a chance of winning as Lin does."

"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "and you have as good a chance of _beating me_ in the next battle!"

"Oh, it's on!" he declared, staring at her wickedly, stupidly forgetting her lack of sight.

"Which reminds me," the Chief added, ignoring the statement from her opponent, and turning to her non-bending friend, "Mai, hows _Honora _doing with training with _Princess_ here?" she pointed her thumb at Zuko and made a clicking sound with her tongue.

Maintaining an unemotional demeanor, and quite enjoying teasing her husband, Mai replied, faking her sadness. "Oh, not so well."

"And why is that?"

"For one thing, our little girl over there keeps on beating her wimpy father," this earned laughed from the audience and a scrunched-up faced firebender, "and two, Zuko can't seem to admit the fact that he's lost and is always asking for a rematch. Quite frankly, I'm getting bored of buffoonery—I'm glad to finally watch a _real_ match."

"Aren't we all," Toph remarked, chuckling. "So, who do you think will win?" She raised her eyebrow and looked at her companion expectantly.

The Firelord's wife pretended to think and said, "Well, I think it's a fair fight and both have a chance of winning," she leaned in and whispered, but still in a voice where everyone could hear, "although, I think Aangela might be a bit rusty from training with an amateur for so long. Eh, it _is_ said that your frequent opponent can influence the way you fight."

"Mai!" Zuko complained, standing and giving his partner an irritated look.

"Come on, _Zuzu_, you know your wife only speaks the _truth_," the earthbender remarked, achieving a genuine laugh and a thumbs-up from the non-bender.

The firebender sat down in defeat, putting on a pout, well knowing he had lost this battle to his wife and "little sister".

"All right! All right! I'm here, I'm here! No need for any pillars," proclaimed an exhausted Water Tribesman as he entered the clearing where his family was gathered in. He was in a bent position, hands on his knees.

Chuckling, Toph stood and walked to where he was standing, hands on her hips. "Tired so fast, Wimpy?"

"You bet I am!" he answered, letting irritation and anger into his voice. "Why didn't you guys tell me this thing was on the _other side of the island_?!"

"Oh come on, Sokka, it isn't _that _far," she mentioned, giggling.

"_That far?_" he shot back incredulously. "It took me _10 minutes_ to run here! Run!"

"Yeah, I can tell—you've gotten quite slow with the years," she patted him on his back, putting on a fake pout.

"Ha ha, Toph," he stretched his back and looked at his wife for the first time since she cleaned up. Wanting to seem angry, he planned to turn his back to her, but couldn't do it and ended up wrapping his arms around her waist—the complete opposite of what he hoped in doing—and bit her shoulder, as a form of "punishment". In response, he got a shiver from her—which was good enough for him.

"So—why _again_ did you call me here?" he led her by the hand to her former seat and sat down, with the earthbender on his lap. "You scared the Spirit World out of Aang you know, he was sweating, and more than usual, if I might add."

"I try," was her sassy remark.

Zuko cleared his throat from where he was seating. "You still have to show us the money, ya know."

"Oh hey, Zuko!" Sokka acknowledge with a wave. "Where's Lin and _Honora?_"

"Right here!" the two girls called from the middle of the land.

"Hey kids!"

"Okay, okay! Hold up," voiced the scarred man. "_Why_ does _everyone _call her _Honora? _Like seriously?"

Toph and Sokka laughed, the warrior slapping his knee and the bender arching over.

"Seriously man?" the Councilman looked at his friend in this belief.

"Come on, don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet," it was the Chief's turn to comment.

"It was _one _time, guys! _One time!_ It was so long ago! We were teenagers!" the Firelord tried to reason, but to no avail.

"More like a hundred times," asserted the duo at the same time.

"Please!" he tried to deny again. "Mai?"

"Hey, I'm staying out of this one."

"Katara?"

"I have to admit, Zuko, you were quite the _honor's _guy. I was surprised you named her 'Aangela' instead of 'Honora."

"Oh, you two are hopeless. Aangela? Lin?"

"Sorry, dad, but I'd have to agree with Uncle Sokka and Aunt Toph."

"Yeah, Uncle Zuko. Aangela's first word was _honor_. How can you deny that, huh?"

"Ugh—whatever! You guys are all wackos."

"Wackos you'll spend the rest of you life with," said Aang from behind, taking a seat beside Katara.

"Exactly," agreed the young firebender. "Besides, I kind of like the nickname."

"Ha! See! Meathead and I are great in making nicknames," bragged the metalbender.

"Whatever," muttered the nephew of the Dragon of the West.

"So, you have the money?" asked Mai as she went back to the real reason for all this.

"Yeah," Sokka replied, taking out the money from his pocket.

"How much?"

"I didn't know how much to bring so I brought 500 yuans."

There were "oohs" and "aahs" all around as he flashed the money in the air.

"Impressive, babe. We were going for 100 but an extra 400 wouldn't hurt—if you guys have the money that is," Toph challenged the couple from the Fire Nation.

"Oh, we got the money all right. Shall we get started?" accepted Zuko, holding up the same amount of cash.

"Okay, then. Lin? Honora? Ready?"

"You bet!" was the enthusiastic answer from the two, taking their bending stances.

"Wait a second!" halted the warrior.

"What now, Sokka?" complained his sister.

"I still don't know what's gonna happen. If my money's going in it, I want to know what it's about before anything else." He then turned to the girls going into combat and warned, "Also, be careful, girls! I don't want any bumps or bruises like last time! Just a clean fight, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Well, Stupid," began the Councilman's wife, "the deal is win all or nothing. We both betted on Lin winning, of course, and the two _Princesses _over there picked their Honora. And since you brought 500 yuans, the loser will have to give 1000 yuans to the winner—500 each. Simple enough?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"Okay then, let's get it started. Lin—remember the stance I taught you. Honora—you know what to do," with that last bit, she winked at her niece, a sly smirk creeping into her face.

"On your marks," the Avatar counted," get set, go!"

The earthbender made the first move and brought her foot unto the ground, shooting her fist straight onto the rock, and making it fly through the air. The firebender easily avoided it by flipping herself just above it, using it as a temporary base, and creating a whip of fire, slashing it at her opponent. Bringing both her hands up, Lin made an elevated platform, surrounding herself, evading the heat.

As Aangela dropped back to the ground on fours, Lin saw her chance and encased her opponent's hands and feet in earth cuffs. Having fought with her many times before, the future Firelord knew what to do and heated the earth chaining her to ground, making them explode to bits. She shot fireballs towards her rival's midsection and quickly got back on her feet, making sure to continue moving to not give her friend a chance to have hold of her. Lin dodged the fireballs with sidesteps and hopped off the earth platform.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Sokka asked the woman in his arms as the fight continued on.

"You noticed, did you?" questioned Toph as she rested her head on his shoulder, but keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground, watching the battle.

"I'd know that smile anywhere. Come on, tell me what's up," he tried budging it out of her. When she wouldn't give in, he started tickling her, making her lose her focus.

"Okay, okay! You got me! Now stop it! I've got to give the signal," she yielded, talking between giggles.

"Signal, huh? Now you've _got_ to tell me what this is about," his curiosity for the subject reached a higher level.

"Fine. So remember me telling you I needed to see Aangela earlier?" he nodded. "Well, the reason I needed to see her so much was because I made a bet with her. I wanted to get back at Zuko and Mai for _almost_ beating us last time. And what better way than to use their secret weapon herself?"

"Smart, I have to admit," there was pride in his voice as he thought the situation out. "But how do you plan on doing that? Aangela doesn't seem to be letting Lin off easy," he gestured to the fighters who were now sweating. Lin had her left sleeve burned and Aangela had scraped a knee. Both seemed tired but their adrenaline was as much as they started, maybe even more.

"You'll see."

The metalbending student dodge another fireball that seemed to be the 50th one that day. "Is that all you got, _Ms. Princess of the Fire Nation?_" she dared.

"Not just yet!" the firbender countered as she made a wall of fire between her and her opponent.

Lin's sight was blocked by all the fire and smoke. She had to use the kind of bending her mom had taught her to decipher her enemy's position. She slammed her foot on the earth and created a wave of bending through out the temple. The earthbender could already feel her mother smirking at her achievement. Just a little to her right, she felt a silhouette that seemed so much like her friend.

Almost instantly, she sent continuous flying rocks to the figure. Aangela was just about sure she felt the earth shake. So taking no chances, she blasted her fists towards the ground and used her firebending to send her flying in midair—something her Aunt Azula taught her a while back—and above the fire wall.

Lin felt her rival leave the ground and backed away to get a better view of her surroundings—both aerial and terrestrial. She caught sight of Aangela flying towards her, using her feet to shoot fire. The Beifong made a circular barrier to shield her.

Wasting no time, she made an armor made of earth, but leaving an opening for her eyes, just like her mother showed her to do. It was her first time doing this and she perfected it almost immediately. Lin created large disc of earth and propelled it towards the firebender. This caught Aangela by surprised and made her lose balance. She fell down but was able to soften her landing with some bending.

Seeing this as the perfect time, Toph alerted Lin with two taps of her foot. The daughter got the message and notified Aangela by raising earth thorns from the ground on both sides. The friend got the message and stood clear of the pointed structures, turning them to ashes as she passed them. Lin nodded to Aangela once as to warn her and she nodded back, preparing for the impact.

With a flick of the earthbender's wrist, the firebender was swallowed by the earth, making her unable to move. The daughter of the Royal Family remembered to place her hands on her sides and her feet together, imitating the position she'd seen her father and uncles do countless times before her Aunt Toph trapped them.

Just as she was rendered useless, she heard her mother grunt in frustration and her father stomping around the campsite, cursing words to Ravaa and the Spirits. She heard Lin cheer in triumph and the hoots and cheers of the rest of the adults. Aangela saw Sokka jump up and down, scooping Lin in his arms, and congratulate her for her "well-earned" victory. Meanwhile, her Aunt Toph was rubbing their win in her parents' faces. To supress her laughed and smile, the firebender brought her head down and pretended to be sad.

"Woohoo! Another win! Yeah! Good job, Lin!" shouted Sokka as he rubbed the head of his daughter.

"You bet we won! That's my kid!" acclaimed Toph as she hugged her daughter and gave her a high-five. "All right, Sparky! Pay up!"

Still cursing, Zuko got the money from his wife and combined it with his own, handing it over to the victorious couple. "Here! Take your stupid money."

"That's the spirit! Sokka, count the yuans."

"Yes, Ma'am!" he started counting the money in his hands, grinning mischievously.

"Ha ha! We won again! No one, and I repeat _no one_ can beat the Blind Bandit and her Meathead, not even the Royal Family! In your face!" the Chief of Police stuck her tongue out at them as they quartet began to tease each other like kids again.

The Avatar and his wife patted his winning friends on the back. The master of all elements then released his niece from the ground. As she got out, she hit her fist with Lin's and they both laughed knowingly.

Noticing this, Aang shook his head and asked the two, "I'm guessing Toph did _something_, right?"

The two just giggled and Lin answered, "That's for us to know, and for you to find out, Uncle Aang."

"Hey, isn't it weird that our parents are acting more childish than us?" Aangela inquired her friend as they left the clearing to find food in the kitchen—they were quite tired from all that bending—indicating the acclaims and denies made by the adults.

"You did something, didn't you?!"

"I did not!"

"Did to!"

"Hey! My wife and I won fair and square!"

"You guys never win fair and square! You're both gamblers!"

"It's not like you've never cheated before! Or did you forget?"

"Don't talk to my husband like that! And it's true—you guys must have set something up, didn't you?!"

"Well we got the money and you didn't so there's that!"

"Not if we do something about it!"

"Yeah, right! Like what?"

Lin sighed as they passed down the corridor, no longer hearing the heated conversation, "Eh, our parents are our parents. Even if we _may_ be more mature than them."

* * *

"60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 yuans. Here you go; they're all yours: 10% of our total winnings," confirmed the gambler as she handed the money to her niece, a smirk on her face.

"Thanks, Aunt Toph!" Aangela hugged her aunt as she clutched the money in her hands, running to her room—she wanted to be able to hide it in a place where her parents wouldn't find it.

"Use 'em wisely, kid!" the metalbender called after her, shaking her head.

"Did I miss something?" asked the Councilman, coming up behind the Chief of Police.

"And where have you been?" questioned the head of the Force, crossing her arms.

"Just the bathroom—I had to clean a few cuts after the incident with _Firelord Hothead_," he explained.

After a few minutes of words being thrown back from one another, the guys had quite enough of _girly chit-chat _and wanted to go physical. They had a short brawl, along with much cheers from their wives. The Avatar and the Master Waterbender were able to pry the two away from each other, but not in time for the fighters not to give each other some cuts and bruises. Zuko came out with a bruised elbow; Sokka came out with a cut chin.

"Remind me again why you two _Daffodils _had to tackle each other?" she asked lamely, clinging onto his arm and walking down the corridor.

He thought for a while, honestly not knowing the answer himself. "Too prove who's more manly?" he settled with after a time.

"Oh, baby, you lost your manliness a long time ago," she sighed, sarcastically comforting him by pressing her cheek against the side of his arm.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "So, you haven't told me _why_ you made a bet with Aangela, and _what _exactly that bet is. Does it have something to do with you giving her money and her running off like that?"

"Good guess, Captain Boomerang," she punched his side playfully. "I was talking to Aangela the last time she was here; she was telling me about how Zuko and Mai won't ever allow her to have her own money because she didn't need it—the whole Royal Family Fortune was hers anyway. Well, I could see where she was coming from, as you might imagine. Aangela told me that she wanted to be able to earn her own money, and learn not to depend on her parents all the time. Of course, I loved the way she was thinking—like her Aunt Toph, that's for sure; reminds me of the old me.

"I gave her a proposition and she agreed. The plan was to purposely lose the battle between her and Lin without really showing it. I told them they'd have to fight with all they've got until I gave them the signal. Lin would do a certain form and Aangela would know what to do. And, oh yeah, she wanted to do this to get back the Zuko and Mai for not letting around the Fire Nation without a bodygaurd—you know how protective they are," she laughed at this.

"I promised her," she continued, "10% of the total winnings. And if you're thinking: I also did this so that she could have money of her own, you know. I love my niece and I only want what's best for her. Losing over Zuko was just something that came along with it."

Sokka stopped walking and gave her a disbelieving, "Uh hu."

"Okay, okay: I just did it to get back at Zuko. Happy? Besides, she got something out of it so there's that," she confessed, taking steps again.

"Wait, why did you have to make this bet if you'd know Lin would win anyway. Don't you believe in her?" this conversation was getting deeper by the word.

"Of course I do!" she said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She's my daughter after all!"

"Then, _why_?" he wanted to know—if Toph didn't have confidence in Lin, then that was something they had to talk about.

"Why do you think, Stupid?" she didn't at all know how his mind worked. "If Zuko and Mai knew the truth, which would be revealed sooner or later, they would be _furious_!" Toph was certainly excited to see—no _feel_—that. "Why do you ask?"

"Just checking," he shook all negative thoughts out of his head.

"Why?" she wouldn't let go of him that easily.

"Well," he trailed off.

"Well, _what?_" she demanded. The earthbender knew that their love would be nothing without trust. If Sokka started lying now, or even started hiding things from her, who knows what will happen in the future.

"Well," he brought her to a corner; her back against the wall, arms crossed; his outstretched arm beside her the only thing keeping them apart; he lowered his voice to a whisper, "you know how insecure Lin gets sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

In truth, she did not know. Toph always thought that her daughter was as strong as she was and not insecure about anything, unlike herself when she was young. It seemed that it was only Sokka that knew _everything _about Lin. Despite not being her biological parent, he was the one she trusted most and told all her thoughts to.

The warrior was not sure how to tell the bender all these things. He knew she wouldn't be able to fully understand as: one, she didn't grow up with a sibling, and two, she didn't spend most of her life fighting for anyone's attention. Sokka wanted to test his theory of giving her the info bit by bit and explaining it all after. If it worked, then Toph would be able to understand everything in her daughter's brain and they could grow more as a family.

"Well, to start of," he tried to deliberate, "ever since Su was born, I don't think we've given Lin as much attention as we should have." The confused look on her face told him that she was not getting the point. "Toph," he took her hand in is, "I think Lin feels that we love and favor her sister more than her. I think that being that _bastard's_ daughter has affected her view on us loving her in a way. I mean, ever since she knew the truth of me not being her real father, I think she's been trying her best to know what's true or not anymore. I've talked to her and noticed that she's been more obedient than usual and always goes by your side. I think she wants you to take more time for her, and, you know, bond."

"I bond with her," she protested, but in a soft voice.

"I don't mean you training with her every morning."

"Oh."

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head. "And I've been feeling that despite her efforts, all was for nothing when Su was born—we spent less time with her again. Toph, I don't want her to feel out, or feel like we're abandoning her. I know that feeling," he bowed his head, memories of his ear;y childhood playing through his mind, "and it's not pretty, believe me. Now I know this is kinda hard to understand—you never had to fight for anyone's attention before."

"Hey, I had to fight for _your_ attention before," she tried to lighten the mood.

He chuckled. "But try to take it all in—for Lin, and for me too, okay? I want our family to grow more, not fall apart."

"Okay."

"I know I'm not that good at explaining so just bear with me okay? I promise I'll explained it all better in the future," he gave her an apologetic smile.

"I've been putting up with you ever since I met you, I think I can handle this," she jested, winking, and punching him lightly on the shoulder, making unconsciously rub the spot. "Seriously, though—I get what you're saying, but this isn't the Lin I know, and I know my own daughter," she became quite defensive towards the end.

"I know you do," he tilted her chin up with his fingers and kissed the top of her head.

It was then when Toph came to a realization: she slowly discerned how much she actually _didn't know her daughter. _Although she would never admit it, she knew Sokka and Lin had a special bond she and her child would never have. And hearing her husband's observations on things, made her deeply think more and more; it also made her feel a little guilty. She knew deep in her heart that she had not been spending time with Lin lately; not for the reason of her father, oh no, but for the mere reason of being busy. Toph knew it wasn't a good enough of an excuse, but she didn't know any way on how to fix it. Fixing things was always Sokka's field of game, not hers. Even though she wasn't good at showing her love for her kids—it took her years to learn how to show her love to Sokka—she wanted to do the best she could.

When the Councilman started walking again, she stopped him by getting a hold of his arm. "Sokka?"

"Yes?" he looked back at her and saw the plead in her eyes.

"I don't want them to experience the same thing I had to with my parents," she said it in a barely audible whisper.

"Oh, Toph," he took her by the elbows. "They won't and you're nothing like your parents. I won't ever let anything like that happen to our kids."

She sniffled and wiped some tears—she was _not _going to cry _again_! "Have an idea, Genius?" the mother lifted her head and gave him a cunning smile.

"You know I do," the father gave her a quick peck on the lips, taking her by the hand and lead her swiftly down the corridor.

"Mind telling me this _Oh Great Plan _of yours?"

"Well, since I'm such a great husband," he bragged proudly.

She scoffed; he shook his head with a smile.

"Let's just say: I'll be putting the money we earned to good use."

* * *

**A/N: To be honest, I'm just going with the flow. I don't have any exact plot points, but I at least have an idea. So if you have any suggestions or anything at all, please don't hesitate to give me a PM or something.**

**Also, as you may have guessed, I have not proofread this and did each part after a some period of time. Bear with me, please.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed in the last chapters and to all who are sticking to this story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I can't think of any more excuses.**

* * *

"Good morning, you four!"

Toph and Sokka entered the dining room; Su in her mother's arms and Lin closely behind. They were greeted by the Royal Family and the Family of the Avatar.

Lin sat with Aangela on her right and Kya on her left. She quickly engaged in talking to her close friends in silent whispers, careful not to be heard by the other people surrounding the table. Meanwhile, Tenzin and Bumi were having their own conversation—more of a debate really—on who would win the next Pro Bending Match.

Toph and Sokka sat between Aang and Mai. The adults were seated at one side of the table, while the kids at the other.

Katara came up behind Toph and offered her a seat for Su, to which she gratefully accepted.

Once all the food was on the table, everyone dug in almost immediately.

"No! Mine!" Sokka slapped away Zuko's hand from the last piece of chicken.

"Ha ha!" Toph exclaimed as she stole the last piece of chicken from her husband's plate and quickly popped it in her mouth. She licked the juices off noisily, making sure Sokka heard every sound.

"Hey! Toph! That was mine!"

"Too late, Slow Poke! The chicken tasted _delightful_!"

"Hmph!" he crossed his arms as he thought of a way to get back at her, at the same time at least tasting that last piece of meat. The it hit him like a saber-tooth-moose-lion:

As she kept on laughing, Sokka swiftly used his hand to turn her face towards him. He then kissed her roughly, licking the sauce off her lips.

Toph was surprised at first then got what he was trying to do. As he was about to pull away, she pulled on his tunic and kissed him more fiercely than before. She felt his tongue brushing the ends of her lips and quickly opened her mouth, attacking it with her own.

The Councilman was too surprised by the sudden action to protest. Just like every kiss, he was put in a trance, being dominated by the Chief of Police. He could never get enough of _her_, of _that_.

His tongue danced inside her mouth, really tasting all the chicken sauce she had eaten earlier. _That chicken must have been good, but this is _way way _better! _he thought.

Before anyone else knew it, Toph was already straddling Sokka with her arms around his neck and his hands at her hips. The chair he sat on was already rocking so violently one would have thought it would have broken at any moment.

Sometime in the middle, they were able to bring down the plates in front of them and break them into pieces. This caught the attention of everyone in the room.

Just as they were getting out of hand—

"Mom! Dad!" Lin shouted at the top of her lungs, probably loud enough to hear throughout the whole island.

"Ewww!" the other kids shielded their eyes from the sight in front of them.

Everything seemed to stay still as the couple finally broke their kiss. They turned towards the table to see all eyes staring at them: angry, annoyed, disgusted, and horrified eyes everywhere.

"What the Raava?!" Katara's face was as red as Zuko's, though for a completely different reason.

Smoke was starting to come out of the firebender's ears. The only thing keeping him from pouncing on the Water Tribesman was his wife and daughter holding him back. _What does Sokka think he's doing?! Toph's just recovering and he's already eating her whole face! I'm so gonna kill him! _he thought.

The waterbender was in a similar position. _Seriously?! In front of the children?! In front of the table?! And look at the mess they made! I'm so gonna kill them!_

"Okay, Sweetie, calm down," Aang tried to coax his wife, rubbing her back carefully.

The earthbender tried to get off the warrior; he stopped her when he noticed the plates on the floor. "Glass," he warned in a hoarse voice, clearing his throat.

With broken ware on all sides, Toph had to sit on his lap as they were being reprimanded by their friends and children.

"What the Spirits, you guys! What were you thinking?!"

"Sokka! What the Spirits did you think you were doing?!"

Katara and Zuko both yelled at the same time, their arms flailing around them in exaggerated motions. They looked at each other once they realized they were in sync, nodding to each other, signaling who would be the first one to speak.

"Sokka, you know very well that—" Zuko attempted, but his efforts went to waste when the sound of a cry reached everyone's ears.

Su started crying as she saw her folks being shouted at. She may very well be just a baby, but she was a smart one. Her sensed were as alert as her mother's, and something in her mind told her that her parents were both in big trouble. Baby eyes wandering to her aunt and uncle, Su saw the red in faces, and much more than usual. She heard their screams as it rang in her ears. She knew she had to do something to stop all this yapping. So, she did the only thing she could do—cry.

"Great, thanks guys," Sokka said sarcastically as he struggled to bring Su into his arms from so far away.

Taking the baby from her husband's arms, Toph added, "Yeah, gee. You know, all your kids may have grown up already, but we still have a wee one her!"

"What did you expect when—" Katara was too hot-headed to worry about Su at the moment. The two needed to be disciplined; they acted the same as they did all those years ago, only worse.

"—when you keep banging each other at every chance you get!" Zuko finished, he wasn't going to let them off that easily.

Just as Sokka was going to make a snarky reply, Mai spoke up for them, "Cut them a break, you two. You know what they had to go through with Yakone." Her expression was unusually soft and understanding.

"But Mai—" her husband tried to reason.

"But what?"

"They can't just—"

"Auntie's right you know," said Bumi for the first time since his wild reaction.

"Son, you have no business meddling in other people's business! This is adult talk," the waterbender told her son.

"It's just that—"

"I'll have none of it."

"It's—"

"You're being disrespectful. I—"

"Let him talk, Katara," Aang was always the open type and encouraged his children to voice out any thoughts they had in mind freely.

"Well, it's just that, uh," he stammered at first. "I mean, Aunt Toph was unconscious for quite some time, right? She was hurt pretty bad. Uncle Sokka was hurt too, I guess—seeing Aunt Toph like that. We all saw how he cried right?"

Toph made a snort and muttered a "wimp" to her husband who only wrapped his arms around her more.

"Even if I'm a kid—and with no bending an' all—I can really see that Aunt Toph and Uncle Sokka really love each other. I remember the time when I was the only one born and they were having trouble in their relationship. I'm older now—much older—and even I can see the progress in their relationship. What I'm trying to say is—maybe they just miss other you know? I mean, they almost lost one another, I can't imagine them doing any other thing. Though I have to admit, it is _really_ gross. Please do it somewhere private okay? Please Auntie? Please Uncle? I get enough from my parents already."

Everyone laughed at this last part, even the Avatar and his wife themselves. They all gave proud glances at the boy—who apparently grew up already.

Taking pride in his child, Aang rubbed Bumi on the head and exclaimed, "Haha! When did my child get so smart!"

"When you stopped being my teacher, dad."

Laughs echoed the room once again.

"Are you sure you didn't get that from one of mom's love stories?" Kya asked her brother in disbelief.

"Of course not!" he said too defensively. "Why can't you just accept that I'm smarter than you?"

"'Cuz you never were or ever will be."

The two stuck their tongues at each other.

Meanwhile, Sokka buried his face in the crook of Toph's neck, rubbing their baby's arms with his thumb.

"I love you, you know?"

"Why, Sokka! Has Bumi's speech made you a softy now?" she said exasperatedly. "What a shame, I can't love anyone who's that mussy," Toph made a pout before laughing and fiddling with the warrior's wolf tail.

On another note, both Katara and Zuko were in a somewhat deep thought. They took in the child's words slowly, taking a moment to comprehend every word. Soon enough, the two found the reality in the child's words. How could they be so blind to what's really in front of them?

Sokka and Toph were so used to expressing their feelings in strange ways that no one seemed to understand their way of love. To the Katara and Zuko, the kiss they shared near the dining table was just an act of ignorance, of self-conceitedness and lust. They weren't able to see the love filling the void that was made during the trial.

And they both couldn't blame the two for what they did anymore. They experienced the same feeling more times that they could care to imagine with their own lovers, in their own circumstances.

Sometimes, when things get too rough, it doesn't hurt to be reminded that you're still alive—still here and breathing. None of them would ever know what might happen—with danger and risk increasing—to them or their loved ones in the next mission. They were valued people, and for that, others hated them for it. It also meant that they were the target of many bad people. Even with Republic City and the Poilce Force, no one can really ever guarantee one's safety.

As all the people around the table looked at the thinking pair for their reaction, the two finally sighed and said,

"Fine."

"Whatever."

Cheers were made by the children and the victims.

"Thanks, kid. You just saved us from wasting hours of our life with lectures from these two!" Toph gave her nephew a thumbs up.

"No worries, Aunt Toph. Just don't do it in front of us anymore, okay?"

"Can't make any promises," she winked at him and he just laughed in reply.

"Okay kids—us adults have to clean all this mess up. Why don't we go go riding with the bisons?" Aang asked.

"Yes!"

"Let's go then!" The Avatar raced his family out of the living room and into the open air of Air Temple Island.

Seeing as something remained unsolved, Mai said, "I think I'll go to the room. I'll take Su," she reached for the baby and the two of them turned left down the hall.

"Don't think you two are getting away that easily," Katara warned with hands on her hips once Sokka swept the shattered glass away so that Toph would be able to stand up.

"Didn't your kid teach you anything?" Sokka whined, having an idea of what was coming. He got his glass and started drowning himself in water.

"I just have to know something. And this is for your own good Toph—I need to know your condition. I'll have a check on you later," the healer said.

"Spit it out then!" she told her somewhat sister-in-law.

Having an idea of what Katara's question would be, Zuko filled in, "Exactly how many times have you guys done _it_ since the trial?"

With that, Sokka spit his water out all over the floor and looked at his companions sheepishly. Good thing the others weren't here.

He really shouldn't have drank that water.

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**A/N: Sorry for that scene over there. I changed the rating to T just to be careful. If you're not comfortable with this, then please tell me.**

**I don't actually know if anyone is sticking to this story anymore, but oh well. Have to finish what I started.**


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